State Honoree

Sareana Kimia, 12, of Bethesda, Md., a seventh-grader at Parkland Magnet Middle School in Rockville, prepared meals for dozens of poor, hungry children at a temple in India during two trips to that country last year. While visiting her grandparents, Sareana saw many children on the streets near a temple, who live without food, water, shelter, or proper clothing. "I saw many children who were barely clothed and dirty," said Sareana. "They suffered from extreme poverty and hunger. I was very heartbroken. I knew I could do something."She asked her grandfather if he could get permission for her to use the temple kitchen. Once permission was granted, Sareana met with temple employees to learn how to use the kitchen, and scheduled a time when children would likely be in the area. She then asked her grandmother for help in planning a menu and drawing up a shopping list. Her mother helped Sareana cook the meals, and her cousins helped serve them. Between 35 and 40 hungry children benefited from the five meals Sareana and her team prepared last winter and from nine meals served during a trip last summer. The temple is continuing Sareana's cooking program, she said. Back in the U.S., she made a presentation on the issue of poverty and hunger to 150 people and would like to start a program here similar to the one in India. "I want to continue to see the happy and cheerful faces of poor and hungry children when they are fed," said Sareana. "I think that one can change life one small step at a time."